Kyle aims to break world record for biggest gathering of namesakes.

The city of Kyle in Texas made a bid for the world record for the largest gathering of people with the same name, as thousands of Kyles came together in the city. At present, no official attendance numbers have been released, but as of Sunday afternoon, close to 2,000 Kyles were reported to have arrived in the city.

Some attendees like Kyle McGuckin claimed that the event was “meant to be,” as it fell on his birthday. The gathering aimed to break a record held by Bosnia and Herzegovina for the largest gathering of people with the same name. They achieved this feat by gathering 2,325 Ivans in 2017.

Kyle Rotenberg was one of the attendees who traveled from Portland just to attend the event. He specifically stated his reasons for attending, citing his age as a factor, saying: “I’m 70 years old, at 70 you don’t have too many chances to break a record. I got a chance to be part of a record.”

Despite the playful banter and laughter in the air, the event had a serious side to it. One attendee, Kyle Evans, remarked humorously, “It’s so cool, you say Kyle and everyone’s like [turning their heads]. Narcissistic.”

Despite this, the event brought together people from across the country, including former classmates Kyle Evans and Kyle Buckley, who attended high school together in Denver. Kyle Buckley lamented the teasing he received in school, but was intrigued to discover that there were other female Kyles in attendance.

Each Kyle had their own backstory for why they were named Kyle. Buckley recounted how her parents heard the name in college through someone else, while Kyle Rotenberg attributed his name to legendary NFL player Kyle Rote.

This was not the first time that the city of Kyle had attempted to hold such an event, but it was the biggest yet. Rachel Sonnier, communications director for the City of Kyle, stated that applying for a Guinness World Record was an intricate process. The verification process could take up to 12 weeks, so the news of whether the record was broken or not might not come for a few months.

Finally, it is worth noting that the city of Kyle itself owes its name to founder Fergus Kyle, who established it in 1880.